Day 19. Paulaner Salvator Double Bock (Dopple Bock)

So, another Paulaner beer this week. I hope this ones a bit better, but it is a Bock beer, actually, a Double Bock beer, technically its Doppel Bock. Damn them changing all their names from German...Paulaner is a German brewery, established in the early 17th century in Munich by the Minim friars of the Neudeck ob der Au cloister. The mendicant order and the brewery are named after Francis of Paola, the founder of the order. Paulaner ranks number 8 among Germany's best selling breweries. The best part about these old beers from Germany is that they were all started in cloister's by monks. It's interesting that this is yet another brewery owned in part by the Heinekin Co. Paulaner belongs to the BHI (Brau Holding International AG), a joint venture between Schörghuber Ventures (50.1%) and with the Netherlands' Heineken N.V. (49.9%). 

Well anyways, this is a total christmastime beer. Full, warm, flavorful and bold. At 7.9% abv, this is on the lower scale of the bock beer abv charts. It smells great and like it would be a very heavy beer, but with a taste, it is so full of flavor and warmth, I could drink this in the snow in northern Russia and feek great about it. (Why Russia? I'm watching this movie right now called Night Watch, part of a trilogy, check it out.) I was expecting something a lot darker, but this looks something more like iced tea. 

"The Savior," as it would be translated, is what the Monks referred to this beer as. This beer was the origin of the Munich Doppelbock brewing style. According to Paulaner, this beer has been brewed since 1634 and it, "remains to be the Benchmark to which all Double-Bock beers are measured." Hey thats something worthy right? The origin of this kind of beer. Step up and meet this taste or get out? Well, I would agree. This beer will be my standard for measuring dopplebock beers now. It has such a great flavor that it makes my mouth water. Actually, it feels like my mouth is brewing beer, because I know I've already swallowed, but instead of watering, it feels like more beer just keeps filling up in my mouth. Historically, doppelbock was lower in alcohol and sweeter, thus serving as "liquid bread" for the monks during times of fasting, when solid food was not permitted. So legit. Liquid bread. Haha, when they make a version of it that tastes like liquid garlic bread, I'm all in. If you've ever brewed your own beer (and you really should try it, a Mr. Beer kit is really shitty, but probably only about 20 to 40 bucks and you get to make like 12 gallons of beer or something with it. Not totally sure, it's been a while since I've brewed, but it is really fun) you can taste and smell the syrup-y malt that they give you to help you brew. Thats what makes this kind of beer so dark, and so flavorful. 

I would be very interested in comparing many bock beers together, however, because of the style, you would totally need a palate cleanser in between tastings. This beer's flavor just doesn't leave you, and thats a good thing. With how many different beers there are in Germany, this one is definitely done well by Paulaner. My favorite out of all of their beers, that is for sure. 9.5 rating by me, and I promise myself I will visit this brewery someday. As the beer that made bock beers famous, I say thank you to Paulaner and those old Monks.